Black Firefighter Sues City for Racial Discrimination

0:00It's April 8th. This is Hartford News today, powered by AI. A former New Haven fire lieutenant is suing the city for millions, claiming racial discrimination cost him his job. Keith Norfleet, a 36-year-old black man, got fired in August 2024 after a sexual assault charge from 2023. A jury later acquitted him, but the department wouldn't bring him back. Norfleet joined the fire department back in July 2014 and earned $110,000 a year as a lieutenant. His lawsuit blasts the firing as rushed, and based on a sloppy internal investigation that dug up his oldest mischarges from Hamden police even, though those records got erased understay law. The suit highlights how white firefighters face the rest, two like one for sexual assault who were turned after not guilty, others with felonies, misdemeanors, or gun-pulling domestic violence who got last chance deals or quit instead of getting axed. By them, Norfleet's case hit the headlines with official press releases.

1:01File last week in federal court, the 45-page complaint hits the city, fire commissioners, ex-chief John Austin, Jr., and former admin, Regina Rushkittle. It charges violations of the 14th Amendment, civil rights laws, and more, demanding reinstatement, back pay, pension fixes, and over 3.5 million dollars plus a jury trial. Meanwhile, Mayor Justin Elliker defends the move, saying arbitration back determination for rule breaks, stressing firefighters must stay professional. This battle tests accountability against bias claims, with big implications for how departments handle arrests.